With just two months to go until the 2026 edition of the Comrades Marathon on the 14th of June, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) can announce that preparations for the 99th edition of the race are moving forward smoothly, with a healthy blend of tradition and innovation. While the runners preparing for the approximately 87km ultra-marathon between Durban and Pietermaritzburg are putting in their final big month of training mileage (and some are running their qualifying marathon before the qualifying cut-off on 4 May), the CMA and its Race Organising Committee (ROC) are hard at work with the planning and logistical preparation that goes into this iconic event.

“It’s hard to believe that we’re now just two months away from race day, but thanks to the dedication and hard work of the CMA staff and all the volunteers on our ROC, in conjunction with our terrific sponsors and partners, the race is coming together exactly as we planned,” says Race Director Sue Forge. “We are blessed to have so many combined years of invaluable experience in our team, and it is testament to their dedication and passion for this race that runners can look forward to another great race in June.”

“This 2026 edition of the race is going to feature several innovations at the Expo and race pack collection, the Start in Durban, on the route, and at the Finish in Pietermaritzburg, designed to enhance the experience for the runners while also improving safety and smoothing the flow of runners through all parts of the race,” continues Forge. “We’ll be announcing more details in the coming weeks, but for now, we need our runners to focus on ensuring that their entry profiles are complete, as there are still many who need to submit information to the CMA in order to qualify to line up in Durban on 14 June.”

Deadline Looming for Qualifiers and Updates
On that, Forge has issued an urgent call for all participating runners to take heed of the upcoming 4 May deadline for finalising their entries and confirming their participation in the 2026 race. “In order to qualify to start the race, runners need to adhere to all the qualifying criteria, which include submitting their qualifying information, completing the compulsory medical questionnaire, and updating their entrant profile by no later than 4 May 2026,” she says.

“Qualifying details and medical questionnaires will not be accepted under any circumstances after that date, and incomplete entries will be rejected, so we urge runners to complete the entry process via their online entry profile on the Comrades Marathon website or app. We don’t want any runners to lose the opportunity to earn a Comrades medal because they missed an administrative deadline,” she continues. “It is the runner’s responsibility to check their details and entry confirmation before 4 May 2026, and runners should request their club administrator or secretary to assist if they are unable to do so themselves.”

Elite Race Shaping to Be a Classic/strong>
Meanwhile, news from the elite race in terms of runners confirming their place on the start line sees the 2026 race shaping up to be another hotly contested competition. For starters, many of the top 10 men and women from the 2025 race will be lining up once again in 2026, hoping to add another gold to their medal collection, including both defending champions – three-time men’s winner Tete Dijana and four-time women’s winner Gerda Steyn (both of South Africa).

Dijana will be looking to win the Up Run for the first time, having won the Down Run in 2022, 2023 and 2025. (The 2022 and 2023 races were both run ‘down’ following the disruptions of the COVID pandemic.) However, he will likely face tough competition from his perennial rival, Dutchman Piet Wiersma, who won the last Up Run in 2024, and finished second behind Dijana in both 2023 and 2025. Another two former South African winners are amongst the returning 2025 gold medallists – Edward Mothibi (2019) and David Gatebe (2016) – and they will be joined by SA’s Gordon Lesetedi, Alex Milne of the UK, and Nikolai Volkov to make it seven returning top 10 men thus far.

In the women’s race, Steyn will be looking to claim her fifth win, and fourth in a row since 2023, and she will be running full of confidence, having recently won the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon powered by BYD for the seventh consecutive time, dominating the Cape Town race and once again making it look easy. Also confirmed to be lining up in Durban will be the familiar faces of 2025 gold medallists Irvette van Zyl (South Africa), Dominika Stelmach (Poland), Carla Molinaro (UK), Courtney Olsen (USA) and Melissah Gibson (UK).

“We still have a number of top runners who must confirm their participation, so the final elite field will be announced after the qualifying window closes on 4 May, but we can already see that this should be another thrilling race, not just in terms of returning gold medallists, but also with the addition of a number of very fast marathoners from both South Africa and abroad, as well as world-class 100km competitors,” says Forge. “With a combined prize purse of R5,791,840, in addition to a further R1,242,000 up for grabs in various incentives for record times or pace, the top runners really have something to race for this year, and we’re looking forward to seeing who claims the podium spots and prize purse.”

Celebrating the Greens in 2026
One of the most aspirational aspects of the Comrades Marathon is its Green Number Club, whose members have earned a permanent Green Number for completing the Ultimate Human Race 10 times. (They can also earn a Green Number by winning the race three times, or by earning five gold medals for a top 10 finish.) Those runners going for Green (running their 10th ) are issued with Yellow Numbers, so that fellow runners can wish them well on their way to Green, and the 2026 race will see 429 runners wearing yellow – 342 men and 87 women

Also wearing Yellow Numbers will be the ‘milestone runners’ who have completed the race 19, 29 or 39 times, who will be looking to ‘upgrade’ their Green Number status to Double, Triple or Quadruple Green. There will be 86 runners (70 men, 16 women) tackling their 20th, and another 23 (all men) going for their 30th. To date, a select club of just 20 runners have achieved Quadruple Green status for finishing the race 40 times or more, and Wayne Scott of Pinetown and Districts Athletic Club (PDAC) will be the sole runner aiming to join that club this year. Last year, Louis Massyn (Outeniqua Harriers) became the first runner to achieve 50 Comrades finishes, and he is confirmed to be running once again in 2026.

“It is one of the CMA’s core focus areas to honour the dedication and perseverance of our most loyal athletes, so we are pleased to see so many Green Number Club members tackling a milestone run this year,” says CMA General Manager Alain Dalais. “With all the innovations we will be introducing in this year’s race, in preparation for the 2027 Centenary Race celebrations, we trust the Green Numbers will not only enjoy their 2026 run, but feel energised for the 2027 celebrations.”

“Now, with 60 days to go to the race, all 2026 participants should focus on the theme for this year’s race – Ska Fela Moya – as they tackle their last few weeks of high mileage training and then begin to taper for the race,” concludes Dalais. “The Setswana phrase means “Don’t Give Up,” so when the alarm goes off for another early morning training run, they should repeat those words to remind themselves of the goal they’re working towards – to earn that coveted Comrades Marathon medal at the finish line in Pietermaritzburg – because with each day, and each training run, that goal is getting closer!”